AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It did help,” Elle smiled at her weakly.
“Elenora, get dressed. We need to leave in ten minutes,” I left them behind as I stormed out to the bedroom. After a few minutes, Elle emerged wearing the top and jacket but with a tight, leather fucking skirt instead of the jeans. Her long, bronzed legs were on display and she had on some heeled ankle boots. I groaned.
“Where are the jeans?”
“I didn’t like them. And I can’t wear jeans to meet your papi. I needed an outfit that gave me confidence.”
“No. That is the last thing you need in a room with Diego Barbieri. You need to be meek and submissive. Do you understand?” I stormed up to her, grabbing her face in my hands.
“I won’t speak unless spoken to. If that’s what you mean,” she snapped, her feisty eyes narrowing on me.
“No, that is not what I mean,” I grabbed her hand and started pulling her through the house towards the cars parked out front, ready to go. She didn’t have time to change, so she would have to wear that and I had to pray that she would keep her mouth shut.
We drove in silence pretty much the whole way. She stared out the window at the passing scenery. My anxiety was increasing with every mile travelled and my fingers started tapping against my thigh. I had to warn her or prepare her. But I couldn’t think of the right words to say.
“Elenora,” I started and she whipped her head around to look at me. I lowered my voice so my driver wouldn’t hear our conversation. “You know I care about you, right? You know I won’t let any harm come to you. But in there, I will have to act-” I paused.
“Like you don’t care,” she answered for me. I nodded and she looked down at her hands.
“I understand. Our last names make us enemies. And you can’t be seen to care about a Buccini,” she swallowed nervously and returned to her staring out of the window. My jaw tensed as I studied her, wanting to reach out and touch her. But I couldn’t. I had to prepare myself. For whatever was about to happen.
When we pulled up at the grand, white palace of my papi’s estate, Elle gawked open-mouthed at the extravagance of it all. She gaped at the enormous pillars lining the entrance like Greek Corinthian columns and the enormous water feature that cascaded into a turquoise glass pond which was more like the size of a swimming pool.
I opened the door for her as she climbed out and stared at it in awe. Fabi exited the car behind and nodded to me as we made our way up the steps to the entrance that was heavily guarded by my papi’s men. When we entered the elaborately designed hallway, Elio was there to greet us. He looked Elle up and down with a sleazy smirk that made my skin crawl.
“She can stay out here for now. Boss wants to see you first,” he moved his gaze to me. I turned to Fabi in a silent command, indicating I wanted him to stay with Elenora before I took a quick look at her concerned face. Those big, brown eyes peered up at me like a frightened rabbit and I had to look away quickly to keep myself in check.
Following Elio into my papi’s new office room on the ground floor, he was already sitting behind his desk in a fancy suit without a single crease. His dark eyes were set in a harsh glare as I entered the room and took a seat opposite him. He looked terrible. His cheeks had hollowed out and under his eyes, there was an evident tinge of yellow, puffy bags. His hair seemed to have thinned slightly too.
“What happened?” I asked, when he gave no indication of starting our conversation.
“It seems Giovanni went to the commission this morning. Riccardo found out about it and went down there himself. Enzo Aiani shot him in the head.”
He said every fact with lacklustre emotion as my brows furrowed.
“Enzo killed him?” I replied in surprise.
“Technically, yes. Although the commission was in favour of his death because he broke the peace pact. So, no retaliation can be made,” Diego stated, clasping his fingers together. He was giving nothing away on how this news was affecting him, if it even was, which kept me on edge. What the fuck was Giovanni and Enzo thinking? They just put Elle in danger again! Was that video not enough of a warning?
“As you can imagine, Lorenzo is out for blood. But I managed to talk him down for now. We can’t have our new Boss of the Leone clan and your sister’s husband ending up dead as well. That would be a huge inconvenience to our plans.”
“It would,” I agreed carefully.
Diego shifted his gaze around the room and breathed in painfully. “But now all eyes are on us, Alessio. How are we going to act on this? Lorenzo wants us to retaliate to avenge his father's death, of course. But what we do impacts our progress with the other families in the North. What do you suggest, son?"
His brown eyes found mine again and I didn't dare blink. It was a test. My call to make. How would he expect me to deal with this, if I was the Don of the South? But I also had Elle's safety in the forefront of my mind. And I had to think fucking quickly.
"You are right, Boss. All eyes are on us. The North will expect us to retaliate on Lorenzo's behalf. So, I say we don't."
His eyes narrowed as he clasped his hands together, indicating that he wanted me to continue.
"This is a turning point for the North. I am guessing Giovanni has gone there looking for sympathy and wanting the North to band together against us. But what is most important to us at this point? Avenging Riccardo's death or the commission and each head of families wanting to join us in an alliance? If we attack the North now and go against the commission's wishes, we will never earn their trust."
Diego leaned back in his chair and looked up to Elio, who was standing beside him like his obedient dog. I held my breath as papi pointed his finger at me with a smirk.
"That right there... is how you raise a King." I exhaled subtly as my papi appeased me with his gaze and nodded. "I agree. But we do need to speed things along, Alessio. Clearly, the North is not going to come around to our way of thinking, if we leave it up to Lorenzo.”
My heart started to pick up speed, but I remained calm and collected. Keeping eye contact was the most important thing. “What are you suggesting?”
